Damon Dodd is the MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month for November 2023.

The 20-year-old is in the third year of his auto refinishing (spray painting) apprenticeship and works at Gemini Rockhampton, part of the AMA Group.
Damon has been at Gemini Rockhampton from the start of his apprenticeship and according to his employer ‘has exceeded all expectations’, becoming a vital member of the team and a lead painter within the workshop.

Go back three years, however, and Damon was working at McDonald’s and becoming a spray painter was not on his radar. However, a friend came to see him and advised him to take a look at the automotive industry and the panel beating and spray painting trades – a conversation that would lead Damon to go and see the team at Gemini Rockhampton.

“My mate thought I would love it, and he was right,” said Damon. “When I came to see the Gemini people, they asked whether I wanted to try being a panel beater or spray painter and I thought that I would give spray painting a go. It sounded interesting.”

For the next three weeks, Damon worked with a tradesperson and his performance was monitored. Impressing the Gemini management, and discovering that he really enjoyed the work and picked things up quickly, he was signed up for a spray painting apprenticeship.

Three years on and Damon is able to work on just about any job that comes through the shop, and his enthusiasm for the work is clear, as his passion to see the end result be the best it can be for the vehicle owner.

“Usually, as an apprentice you stick with things like one bumper bar and that will be a solid colour so it’s nice and easy, but once you get into your third and fourth year you start to use and experience more of the difficult colours,” he said.

“And we always make sure the customer gets the correct colour,” he added. “We never just check the colour off profile chips and say ‘that’ll be OK’ – we always do a spray out to make sure the colour is 100 per cent. And if I am happy and my tradesman is happy, then we go ahead and spray.

“You put so much hard work into every step – from sanding, to wiping down, then spraying, then clear coating and letting it set, and there is a great sense of satisfaction seeing the finished job.

“Sometimes I’ll see a car I recognise coming down the road and I think, ‘Oh yeah, I painted that, and it looks good!’ Those are good days.”

Clearly, Damon has found a good environment at Gemini Rockhampton to hone his skills. It is, he said, a great place to work, with a fantastic atmosphere and a team that is very supportive.

“I love the work, but it’s actually coming to the shop, seeing your mates and the people you care for and hanging out with your colleagues – that’s the best thing,” he said.

“We’ve got people from South Africa, from the Philippines, from New Zealand working here. It’s great.

“We get plenty of training and support too,” he added. “And my boss has been a spray painter for half his life, so I have picked up so much from him.”

With about a year left until he completes his apprenticeship, Motor Trader asked Damon what his plans might be in the years after he completes his qualification. He pondered the suggestion that maybe he could open his own spray-painting shop someday.

“I haven’t thought about it too much but that’s a pretty cool idea,” he said. “I think I’ll stick with that one!”

The MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month is proudly sponsored by Spirit Super.

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (December 2023)

20 December 2023